CC:Štefica Stažnik, Representative of the Republic of Croatia to the European Court of Human Rights; Višnja Ljubičić, Ombudsperson for Gender Equality; Government office for gender equality; Government office for human rights and rights of national minorities

Concerns: Letter of support to Trans and Intersex Pride March

Brussels, 25 March 2019

Honourable Members of the Government of Croatia,

We are writing you to express our full support to the upcoming Balkans Trans and Intersex March, which will take place on Saturday 30 March in Zagreb.

Pride marches are a global tradition of many decades, celebrating society’s diversity and openness towards LGBTI people. Across Europe, trans and intersex people continue to face serious human rights violations that remain widely unknown to the public and policy makers. We are particularly excited to see Zagreb be at the forefront of the defence of trans and intersex rights, by hosting the Balkans Trans and Intersex March, and we can only support such an important initiative.

We trust that you will do all in your power to ensure that the Pride March takes place in a peaceful and legal manner, in line with European values, and ensure the safety of all participants.

The Intergroup on LGBTI Rights is an informal forum for Members of the European Parliament who wish to advance and protect the fundamental rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. Members of the Intergroup would usually take a positive stance on LGBTI issues when they draft reports or amendments, when they vote in the Parliament, or when they deal with constituency affairs.